Damages: Rose Byrne on Ellen Leading the Charge

Share.

IGN talks to the X-Men: First Class/Bridesmaids star about the Season 4 time-jump, the new global-political plot & duping Patty.

By Matt Fowler

Welcome to the Summer of Byrne!

Rose Byrne, that is. With X-Men: First Class the best reviewed superhero flick this summer, breakout hit Bridesmaids hailed as the funniest movie and sleeper success Insidious (the year's scariest?) out on DVD and Blu-ray, the lovely Ms. Rose is taking over. And on top of all that, she's back on TV in the fourth season of Damages, which premiered on DirecTV two weeks ago!

IGN had a chance to talk to Byrne about the new season of Damages, the time-jump, the scandalous global-political plot and what it's like for Ellen to finally be leading the charge!

Right out of the gate, Damages fans will have noticed the big change this summer – a big time-jump of three years! How did Byrne deal with the fast-forward? "It was strange for me at first, but we also had a long hiatus," she told IGN. "Usually we only have three or four months between seasons and this time, obviously, we had eight or nine because we were changing networks. So it was kind of appropriate." She added with a laugh, "I also had a new haircut, which I think helped as well. It sounds superficial, but it's actually very true. When you're playing someone as regularly as I did, the small details really count. We're constantly changing and evolving. Especially with the ladies, it's always about the hair ultimately."

Patty can stare at Ellen's new bangs for hours.

Two major new characters are played by John Goodman and Dylan Baker, who play High Star Security head Howard Erikson and his bagman Jerry. So far, after two episodes, Byrne hasn't had any scenes with Goodman (the target of Ellen's crusading justice). "They're still to come," Byrne said. "I was lucky enough to get to work with John later in the season. So yes, they will be happening." Byrne also told us how much she loved Baker. "He's very scary. I'm a huge fan of Dylan's and I have been for a very long time. He's a New York actor and he's fantastic. I have a few scenes with him later on, but not as many as I have with John."

This year, Ellen has become the leader of the pack. While Patty's storyline seems to be dealing more with her own personal life, Ellen is the one bringing the big case to the table. "It was daunting," Byrne revealed. "Because as you know it's usually Patty heading up the case. But I think you have to re-invent the show somehow and make it fresh and interesting and that was the new dynamic that the guys [producers Todd Kessler, Daniel Zelman & Glenn Kessler] wanted to try. They told me, 'You know what, we'll have Ellen trying the case,' and that they were going to focus more on Patty's personal life and how everything's falling apart for her a little bit. I think the way it ends up is that the two of them do wind up working together on the case, but I knew that would happen eventually. Which is good because my favorite part on the show is working with Glenn. I adore it. And we're always saying, 'When are we getting our scenes together?' That's a constant question. Especially since Tate [Donovan] has left the show now and we're the only members of the family remaining."

They've also expanded the Damages-verse this year by taking the story outside of Manhattan - and all the way to Afghanistan. It's a big leap to open up the story and make it so global. "It's a big change," Byrne remarked. "But when I read it, I was thrilled. I was just wondering how they were going to pull it off. Because it's a huge thing. Torture and conspiracies and such. Because it's something that, if it's not done well, can be offensive in so many ways. But it's very smart and ambitious and I think the guys are only interested in doing the show if they can push it each time."

Because of this new story, dealing with wrongful deaths in a war-zone, Byrne has been working quite a bit with actor Chris Messina, who plays traumatized High Star employee Chris Sanchez. Now be careful here, because Byrne says something that might be interpreted as being a bit spoiler-y. "Chris did most of the heavy lifting there," Byrne told us regarding their emotional scenes. "I mean, he brings blood, sweat and tears to that role. He's really phenomenal and so fun to work with. He's incredibly dedicated and I want him to come back. I'm begging him to stick around."

Last week we saw Ellen pulling from her own bag of tricks in order to manipulate Patty into supporting her case. What's it like for Byrne to play with such a deceitful side? "Well she's been taught by the best, hasn't she?" she said. "And she knows exactly how Patty moves and what she thinks. And that's one of the delights between the two of them; that they can really play off each other and use each other's tricks." But while Ellen might want Patty in her life to help her with cases, it's still not clear why Patty seems to want Ellen around. Could she need Ellen there for emotional reasons that she herself can't even identify? "I think so," Byrne said. "I think that's the idea. That Patty wants Ellen in her life but she doesn't quite know why. She clearly wants her around, but on what terms?